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(No Model.)

H. A. GEHRET. SLIDING DOOR FASTENER.

Patented July 3, 18818.

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'Unrrsn STATES PATENT CFFICE.

HENRY A. GEHRET, OF READING, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONEHALF 'TOYVILLIAM F. MARKS, OF SAME PLACE.

SLIDING-DOOR FASTENER.

EPECIF'ICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 385,550, dated July 3,1888.

Application filed September 16, 1887. Serial No. 249,864. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern/.-

3e it known that I, HENRY A. GEHRET, a citizen of the United States,residing at Reading, 1n the county of Berks and State of Pennsylvania,have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Sliding-DoorFasteners; and I do declare the following to be a full, c1ear,and exactdescriptionof the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference bemghadto the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures ofreference marked 'th ereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates, generally, to doorfasteners adapted to slidingdoors such as are used on freight-cars, but is particularly related toand is an improvement on the style of fastener for which Letters Patentwere issued to me October 19, 1886, No. 350,977.

The objects are, first, to make the fastener hold the door more securelyby preventing its belng forced away from the side of the car, so as torelease the fastener; second, to hold the door tight against the side ofthe car, even if the bottom should by any means he forced from itsguideway, thus preventing it from being opened and avoiding the dangerof an accident from the bottom of the door swinging outward and beingstruck while in motion; third, to provide a better means of securing thekeeperplate to the car; fourth, to avoid any projecting arms, whetherthe fastener is open or locked.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a portion of a car, showing the doorclosed and the fastener attached to it unlocked. The door is broken awayso as to show the keeper-plate attached to the door-post. Fig. 2 is across section through A B, and shows the fastener closed and ready to besealed. Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the fastener complete, showingthe hasp integral with a sleeve slipped over the body of thelocking-bar. Fig. 4 is an end view of the hasp-sleeve. Figs. 5 and 6show the keepenplate in detail.

In all of which Arepresents the body of the car; A, the closing-strip; Athe sill; B, the guide-rail; O, the door-hangers, and D the door.

The fastener consists of a locking bar, F, adapted to be supported inbearings at F, provided with lugs IF and F between said bearings, and alocking-arm, H, at right angles to the main body, said arm having aheel-piece, H, and a sleeve, G, adapted to fit loosely over the body ofthe locking-bar, having its periphcry cut away between G and G so as toengage the lugF, and formed integral with it a hasp. G with staple-slotG The beads G and G strengthen the sleeve and increase thebearing-edges. The keeper-plate K, formed with a concave recess, K,adapted to clear the sweep of the locking-arm, and with a projectingplate, K adapted to receive screws for securing it to the car, isprovided also with a flange, K at right angles with the front face 6 5and extending back two inches (more or less) as an additional means ofsecuring it to a post or similar support, the flange being deep enoughto extend beyond the weather-boarding and allow the screws to runthrough it 7c into the solid post, and also with a cross-bar, Kconnecting the two side walls of the concave recess just below thecenter. I prefer to make this recess somewhat wider at the top than inthe middle, so that the locking-arm may-easily enter it, even though thedoor is not in exactly proper position. As the arm is turned down to themiddle locking-point, the door will then be moved slightly to such position and securely held there.

The flange K when it can be readily used, is an advantage not only as anadditional means of securing the keeper-plate, but also as a means ofstrengthening it.

When secured directly against the side of the car, as K the flange maybe omitted.

The heel-piece H is strongly made and the fastener and keeper-plates areso formed and secured to the door and car, respectively, that when thehasp is thrown up so as to allow the 0 staple J to project through theslot G sufd oiently to receive the seal the heel-piece shall extend backof and below the top of the crossbar K in such a manner that the doorcannot by any means be pried or forced away from the side of the carwithout breaking the crossbar, thus avoiding the danger of the doorbeing opened without breaking the seal, even though the bottom guide beremoved.

The cross-bar is made very strong, yet is not a separate cap, which isbolted on.

allowed to clog up the recess, ample room be ing given behind it toprevent ice and snow from accumulating in the same. I prefer to usebolts with nuts inside of the car through the front face of thekeeper-plate and wood screws through the flange K", which is notexposed.

The construction of the fastener in two sepa rate pieces is intended toprevent the lockingarm H from projecting at right angles from the faceof the car when the hasp is thrown down against the face, which isunavoidable when the hasp and locking-arm are in one piece. Thelocking-bar body F has a lug, F projected slightly in a directionopposite to the locking-arm H, and arranged to come in contact with theface of the door when the arm is vertical, thus preventing the latterfrom turning any farther. The locking-bar is then turned by means of thelug F", which is operated by the faces G and G of the hasp sleeveperiphery alternately for locking and unlocking. The portion of theperiphery cut away between G and G is sufficient to allow the haspsleeve to make the lower quarter-turn without operating the lockingbar.The bea ring nearest the locking-arm is furnished with The end bearingmay be in one piece. Both the fastener and its keeper-plate have intheir general construction been described and claimed in thespecification forming part of Letters Patent hereinbefore referred to.

What I desire to claim as new is as follows:

1. The combination, with a locking bar formed with a right-angled armhaving a heelpiece, of a keeper-plate having a recess, K,of a greaterwidth at the top than in the middle, with a cross-bar, K and adapted tobe en gaged by saidarm with heel-piece, substan tially as set forth. a

2. In a car-door fastener, the combination, with a keeper-plate formedwith a recess, K, of a locking device composed of a looking-bar bodyhaving lugs F and F and a locking-arm H, and adapted to be supported inbearings at F, and of a sleeve G, adapted to turn on said locking-barbody between said bearings, having integral therewith a llasp, G", withstaple-slot G", and formed with peripheral faces G and G, adapted tooperate said locking-bar by means of the lug F", substantially as setforth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HENRY A. GEHRET.

' \Vitnesses:

W. G. STEWART,

